Ceramic antenna module and methods of manufacture thereof

• US 8,593,819 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2012
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L. Pierre De Rochemont
• Original Assignee: L. Pierre De Rochemont
• Inventors: de Rochemont, L. Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Mulcahy, Peter D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HU, HENRY S
• Application Number:
  US13/471,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20120275123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 361/748, 174/258, 501/134, 501/154, 501/152, 501/137, 524/546
• US Class Current: 361/748
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0046 Theoretical analysis and design methods of such selective devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/006 Selective devices having photonic band gap materials or materials of which the material properties are frequency dependent, e.g. perforated substrates, high-impedance surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

Circuit modules and methods of construction thereof that contain composite meta-material dielectric bodies that have high effective values of real permittivity but which minimize reflective losses, through the use of host dielectric (organic or ceramic), materials having relative permittivities substantially less than ceramic dielectric inclusions embedded therein. The composite meta-material bodies permit reductions in physical lengths of electrically conducting elements such as antenna element(s) without adversely impacting radiation efficiency. The meta-material structure may additionally provide frequency band filtering functions that would normally be provided by other components typically found in an RF front-end.

Claims

1. A circuit module including a low-loss electrical interconnect structure for connecting at least one semiconductor die to an associated at least one microelectronic component, comprising:

at least one microelectronic component;

a metallization layer including an electrical ground plane and at least one contact pad, each of the at least one contact pads being electrically connected to an associated microelectronic component;

a base dielectric layer adjacent the metallization layer and having at least one via to accommodate the electrical connection between the at least one contact pad and at least one microelectronic component, the at least one microelectronic component disposed at a surface of the base dielectric layer opposite the metallization layer;

a composite ceramic dielectric body comprised of at least two layers of host dielectric material having a relative dielectric permittivity≦

4.5 and further comprising crystalline dielectric inclusions each having a maximum grain size of less than 50 nanometers and selected from the group consisting of inclusions having relative a permittivity ∈

_R≧

10 and inclusions having a relative permeability μ

_R≠

1 embedded in at least one of the two layers of dielectric material, the composite ceramic dielectric body having a first surface and a second surface;

at least one transmission line embedded within the composite ceramic dielectric body;

a first conductive connector means electrically connecting one of the contact pads to an associated one of the at least one transmission lines through the first surface of the composite ceramic dielectric body;

an interconnect metallization layer disposed at the second surface of the composite dielectric body and including a ground plane and a second conductive connector means through which a semiconductor die can be electrically connected to the associated one of the at least one transmission lines.

2. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one microelectronic component is composed of discrete wire;

the base dielectric layer is composed of a high-κ

ceramic material having a relative permittivity ∈

_R≧

25; and

the first conductive connector means, the second conductive connector means, and the associated one of the at least one transmission lines have substantially similar cross-sectional areas and forms as the at least one microelectronic component.

3. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means comprises an electrically conductive via extending from the at least one transmission line to a surface of the composite dielectric body.

4. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means and the at least one transmission line have substantially similar cross-sectional areas and forms.

5. The circuit module of claim 4, wherein:

the base dielectric layer is composed of a high-κ

ceramic material having a relative permittivity ∈

_R≧

25; and

the at least one additional microelectronic component comprises a discrete wire having approximately the same cross-sectional area and form as the at least one transmission line and at least one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means.

6. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein:

the base dielectric layer is composed of a high-k ceramic material having a relative permittivity ∈

_R≧

25 and a thickness ≦

100 microns;

the at least one transmission is oriented at a substantially uniform distance from the ground plane; and

the composite dielectric body further comprises two layers of high-k ceramic material having a relative permittivity ∈

_R≧

25, each disposed at one of the first surface and the second surface of the composite dielectric body so as to modify the intrinsic impedance.

7. The circuit module of claim 6, wherein the at least one transmission line is composed of discrete wire.

8. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means comprises a conductive contact pad embedded in the surface of the ceramic dielectric host material.

9. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means comprises a discrete wire ball bond.

10. The circuit module of claim 9, wherein the first conductive connector means or the second conductive connector means including the discrete wire ball bond further comprises a conductive pad upon which the associated transmission line and discrete wire ball bond terminate.

11. The circuit module of claim 9, wherein the discrete wire ball bond provides mechanical flexure so as to attain an electrically coupled but mechanically decoupled connection between the composite dielectric body and the at least one semiconductor die.

12. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first conductive connector means and the second conductive connector means comprises a via backfilled with conductive media.

13. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmission line is located in an inclusion-free zone of the composite dielectric body.

14. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein:

the composite dielectric body has an effective permittivity that changes as a function of temperature less than 5×

10<sup>−

2</sup>°

C.<sup>−

1</sup>.

15. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein:

the dielectric inclusions each have a maximum grain size of less than 35 nanometers; and

the composite dielectric body has an effective permittivity that changes as a function of temperature less than 8×

10<sup>−

3</sup>°

C.<sup>−

1</sup>.

16. The circuit module of claim 1, wherein the composite dielectric body further comprises:

a separation layer disposed between the two dielectric material layers, the separation layer composed of a pure organic or ceramic dielectric material having a relative permittivity lower than the relative permittivities of the two dielectric material layers;

a second transmission line embedded in the separation layer and electrically connected to the second conductive connector means;

a third conductive connector means connecting the second transmission line to the associated one of the at least one transmission lines.

17. The module of claim 1, further comprising at least one semiconductor die contained in a semiconductor wafer adjacent the interconnect metallization layer, the at least one semiconductor die in electrical communication with the at least one microelectronic component.